Application Practice and Challenges of Laser Cladding Technology
In response to the surface performance requirements of newly manufactured parts, laser cladding is used to form functional coatings in specific areas, which can significantly improve the core properties such as wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the parts and extend their service life. This application can accurately match the performance requirements of parts under specific working conditions, laying a foundation for the long-term use of new parts.
Example of Performance Enhancement for Ball Valves in the Chemical Industry
Taking ball valves in the chemical industry as an example, their surface cladding layers need to meet the requirements of a thickness of 1.2mm, no pores or cracks, hardness ≥55HRC, and excellent resistance to medium corrosion. Laser cladding technology can accurately achieve these performance indicators, ensuring the stable operation of ball valves in complex chemical environments.
Repair and Regeneration of Waste Parts: Realizing Dimensional and Performance Recovery
For expensive parts (such as valves, pump impellers, journals, etc.) that are corroded and worn due to long-term service in the petrochemical field, laser cladding technology can realize dimensional recovery and performance improvement. The strength of the repaired parts can be more than twice that of new ones, which greatly reduces the equipment maintenance cost and realizes the efficient utilization of resources.
Example of Repairing Shaft Parts of Chemical Equipment
Taking shaft parts of chemical equipment as an example, the requirements for the cladding layer during repair are a thickness of 1mm, no defects, hardness ≥50HRC, and certain corrosion resistance. Laser cladding technology can meet these requirements, enabling the shaft parts to resume their functions and meet the performance needs of secondary service of the equipment.
Application Challenge: Imperfect Process Parameter System
Parameters such as laser energy, spot size, cladding speed, and preheating temperature jointly determine the microstructure and performance of the cladding layer, and there are complex coupling relationships between various parameters. At present, the industry mainly relies on empirical parameters for production, lacking theoretical parameter models based on material properties and cladding mechanisms, resulting in difficulty in ensuring process stability, which is an important factor restricting technical application.
Core Components of laser Cladding System
Difficulty in Controlling Cracks
During the laser cladding process, the cladding area undergoes a rapid melting-solidification thermal cycle. Due to the differences in thermal expansion coefficients and shrinkage rates between the cladding material and the substrate, large residual tensile stresses are generated inside the cladding layer; when the stress exceeds the fracture strength of the material, crack defects will occur, which seriously affect the integrity and service safety of the coating and become a key bottleneck restricting the large-scale application of laser cladding technology.